All I can say is DRIVE BOTH. I thought I was going to get the TL, I already had a deposit on one. But after driving them numorous times, the G35 rode nicer, quieter ride, more power off the line and a bit more room in the front.

 

I've seen two brand new TLs around here, and I have to say in my opinion...they don't look good at all, but hey, that's me.

 

get a TL, we have enough G35ers!

G35 Coupe, IP, 6MT, prem

 

Quick review of the TL after spending 2 months doing research and test drives.

Pro's: Great looks (3 series copy cat), great ergonomics, o.k. stereo w/ a cool 5.1 ability (albeit very limited selection of DVA's), dual zenon, about $1500 cheaper than the G-6MT, bluetooth/nav is "neat", roomy trunk, roomy back seat, useable cup holders, easy to get into and out of, basically a very practicle daily driver for more than 2 adults.

Con's: Window/Tint gets scratched due to lack of felt liner, flat spotting of Bridgestone tires, 60 mph vibration problem, exhaust tips get black residue (hard to clean), rust spots inside of the "soldered on" exhaust tips, carpeted rear wheel wells are glued on (why I don't know maybe road noise problems), memory seats fail constantly, rattles galore, rougher (or notchier) shifting than the G - my wife had troubles w/ the TL, Brembo's are ONLY on the fronts (and they say ACURA - not Brembo), side markers have HONDA stamped into them - cheap!, front grill is a PITA to keep clean - shows water marks like crazy, only has 17" wheels and IMO they are pretty "run of the mill", tranny problems w/ the 6 speed, gears were initially too small and the stick would pop out of gear, the parking brake handle is on the passenger side of the car, and several others issues that I can not remember right now.

Now having said all of that I was concerned that many of these problems have been occuring in Acura's for the last 5+ years, and Acura has proven with the re-design of the 2004 TL that they have no intentions of addressing these issues.

Infinity, on the other hand has taken a HUGE leap from where they were 5 years ago. They even fixed "most" of the problems from the 2003 and 2003.5 model years before selling the 2004's. This really impressed me, enough to buy my "RED ROCKET" as my 3 year old calls it. [img]/w3timages/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
Of course this is only my opinion of the TL and my intentions are not to "bash" this car. I really wanted to buy a TL after they introduced the car to the public, but for the reasons above I was unable to disqualify the G35 Coupe as the "best deal" for me. Believe me, I tried...

2004 Infiniti G35C-6MT
LR/Willow/Premium/Aero/Splash/BSM
30% Lumar Tint, Invinca Shield (C-Bra),
Z-Tube & JWT Pop Charger

 

Neffster, I'm sorry but I need to disagree with your "3 series copycat" statement. It doesn't look like a 3 series AT ALL!!!! They're two totally different shapes........and makes me wonder if you've even seen the car in person.

The TL looks like a sporty Saturn. The Accord looks more classy! Did you even see the tail lights? Nothing fancy there. I know I sound bad, but I normally do not get into this subject and I apologize for sounding biased. I'm not saying it's a bad car, I'm just going by what I see through my eyes and this post is all about looks. So that's it, I'll keep this as my last post to this subject.

 

I think the new TL is frikkin hot. The exterior styling is conservative, yet sporty. I think the xenons projectors (if thats wht they really have) look sweet at night. The interior styling obvious shows much more quality then the G's.

The difference is the # of doors. Do you want an all out sports coupe, or do you want a fast sedan?

Black / Black 2004 GcoupeMT. Premium. Splash Guardz.

 

ok, def my last post. i cannot stand the rut running through the side of the TL. makes it look like an american car...like a pontiac. honestly, how many classy cars have some rut going down the whole side of the car? i'm not talking rear well pieces and the like.

i'm sure it's a fine car for the money. as i stated in my last post, what i'm posting is all about looks, and i hope it can be taken as so.

 

I like both cars for very different reasons.

The Acura TL is an excellent luxury car with a powerful engine, world class technology and superior interior design and execution. It's 'sporty' compared to other FF family sedans, and even some RWD's.

The G35 Coupe is a true sport car at heart with added luxury and convinient features to make it more livable on a daily basis. Intertior design and execution is not as luxurious or erognomic as the TL, but performance wise it's in a difference class.

So what it comes down to is: A nicely dressed up + powerful family sedan vs a nicely dressed up sport coupe. Styling vs practicality. Sport vs comfort.

 

my 2 cents worth - I agonized over this one for months. Each day Id wake up in the morning and tell my wife I was going to buy X. Then I visited a Honda dealer and took a look at the accord and then went for a final drive in the TL. - it is an accord (all the interior trim is also) and costs 8-10k more still I moved past this, then for no good reason as I was driving along at a gentle pace in 3rd gear, I decided to punch it and change lanes to turn left, I almost lost control, the car weaved and bobbed so wildly, I had to really pause to recollect what had happened- then drove straight back to the garage and walked away - This is not a sports car - this is your average family sedan, nicely dressed up and trying to look the part, but not the real deal. So back to Infiniti, admittedly the concerns that I had about the car at first - too noisy and the gears too rough compared to the Acura persisted for the fist few months of ownership, but now 5000 miles out everything is smooth and the controls are great - this is the real deal and great car at that.

 

Hey I was in the same boat as you, trying to decide between the TL and G35 coupe. The styling of the G35 sedan is to bland for my tastes, so it was never in consideration. I know they are different cars but they are similar in price range and performance. here's my thoughts on the two.

Exterior styling - it's a toss up the TL has some great lines and looks hot in silver (that's the only color I would even consider) The side and rear views are great but the front has a lot to be desired. The G is just plain sexy, the front and sides are so smooth and flowing, but I don't really dig the rear. I think the TL has nicer tail lights of the two.

Interior styling - The TL wins hands down, no question about it, the look and feel is just so much more luxureous. The interior of the G looks pretty crappy to me. The TL has way more options then are even available on the G all at no additional cost. Much more room in the TL. The G's interior is really small considering the physical size of the car, it has less interior room then my IS300 even though it's a smaller car and the back seat is a joke, even I can't sit upright without hitting the glass and I'm a shorty. Don't even get me started on trunk space, if you could even call what the G35 has as a trunk.

General fit and finish - I think both cars are about equal in this department.

Drivetrain - The G wins here. I'm a RWD guy and never did like the feel of a FWD car. The TL to it's credit is a nice driving car with a lot of power, unfortunately it comes on at high rpms when the vtec kicks in. I didn't really notice any torque steer. around town it feels a little slugish, but get it on the freeway and open it up and wow, it pulls hard all the way upto redline. The G has more bottom end and is good for stop and go situations and has better general driveability since it's not as peaky as the TL. I think the TL may have a smoother engine then the G, both feel a little rough compared to an inline 6.

Handling - Both cars feel competent abliet a little heavy to me (I'm used to my IS which is a nimble little car). Didn't push them hard in the corners so can't really say more.

Seats - The TL seats are made for bigger bodies, I felt like I was swiming in them, The G seats are better if you're small.

I think the TL is a great value, probably the best out there, you get so much for your money....long story short, I pickup my G35coupe on Thursday. In the end, I decided on the car that excited me more, the RWD and exterior looks are just too much of a hurdle for the TL to get over. If I were more sensible and practical I would have gotten the TL, but the devil side of me won. I think I could have been happy in either, but what it all came down to was my experience at the dealerships. The Infiniti dealer had a more relaxing and comfortable feel to it. The Acura dealer was a bear just to be in there, It felt like I was battling for prices at a Ford dealership. I could have gone either way but the no hastles approach of Infiniti won me over, The Acura was a painful experience to say the least, I could not wait to get out of there. I can't wait to get my new baby.

 

DHCrocks. Great analysis. One discrepency. There is no way in hell that the TL tail lights look better. Everyone knows the G's LEDs are some of the best looking tail lights out there, hands down. There are few cars which can match them, and the TL is certainly not one of them.

Black / Black 2004 GcoupeMT. Premium. Splash Guardz.

 

I have to add this in the mix. For those people who thinks that the TL shares the same platform as the Accord you people are wrong. It's like saying that the IS300 shares the same platform as the Camry. Although the Accord and TL have similar features in the interior the chassis are different. I forget what they market the TL in Japan as, but it is definately a higher model than the Accord.

I use to be a 03 TLS owner I traded my car in for a G35 Coupe last August I never looked back since. I love my G simply because it has a more aggressive styling and can never be mistaken for a 4 dr. Sound system on my old TL was better sounding even though both has a Bose system. Fit and finish of the interior hands down winner here is the TL new or old. And now with 04 TL model that bluetooth technology is an added bonus. As far as rattles my TL was more quite than my G. If you compare the exterior of the TL to the G sedan with all the aero package included in both models the TL still wins in style. Mind you this is when you compare them side by side I'm not talking about RWD or FWD. The one I test drove at the dealer had 19's installed on it with all the aero. The only thing missing from the car was a lowered look. Handling of course the hands down winner on this is the G. Body roll was my biggest problem with the TL. Even when I test drove the new one I can still feel same behavior as the old. I don't really understand why torque steer is such a big deal. You can handle the torque steer even with just one hand on the steering wheel. I have no problem in owning either one I don't really care if I drive FWD or RWD. But when I first saw the G35 Coupe I just had to have it. The only other car I would consider over my G is a 911, but that's a whole new can of worms.

In anycase, goodluck on your decision good choices on cars IMO.



<font color=blue>04 CB COUPE / WILLOW / PREM PACK</font color=blue>

 

LEss room than your IS300? LOL, thats a laugh. Look up the specs, its much bigger. I also had a IS300 for 2 days, it was a small car, I stayed away from it because of that! The G35 is actually bigger than the TL except for width!

 

You are wrong buddy. The chasis is the same. Read the reviews. The TL is just a accord.